Need some advice on buildingpainting order.

I'm now in my later 40s. As a teenager, I used to make lots of models, mostly aircraft and AFVs.

In those days, everything was brush painted as authentically as possible with whatever colours I had available.

I used to paint some parts seperately and then glue them onto the model because I couldn't imagine how they could be painted afterwards.

For example, let's say I was painting a sherman - I would paint the wheels first so that the could paint the tyres on properly. I would then paint the bogie parts and assemble the bogies. I would paint the hull and then still the painted bogies on. I would paint the tracks and then fit them. Not applicable to the Sherman but if the tank had fendersskirts and needed to be fitted after the tracks I would paint them first and then glue them to the model. Any tools or stowage would have been painted off the tank and then stuck on.

I didn't really do weathering so my Sherman looked like something in the tank showroom.


Wind on 30 years. I have built up a stash of kits of the quality that I could have only dreamed of. I have a good set of paints, brushes. I have airbrushes and a compressor.

But I'm stuck getting started.

I want to make thye best job possible but I'm not sure how far to assemble before painting. Most of the construction diaries I see, appear to build virtually to completion before even thinking about painting.

I can see how that will get the best build without unsightly glue marks but I cant imagine how you go about painting things like tracks, wheel tyres etc.

What is the best way to build and paint?

Cheers,

Nigel

It's really a personal preference thing. I generally do wingy thingies, which have different assembly priorities than tanks, but the basic principle of painting everything inside before assembly, then assembling the major pieces which will all have the same colour generally works the same no matter what you're building.

I suggest that you try a couple of test builds. Do one the way you've always done them, and do the other the way you're seeing them in the online builds here. Decide for yourself which method works best for you

Hello Nigel, I'm stymied on how some of these builders paint the model after completion. I usually build and paint in sub-assemblies. I study the instructions and look to see what needs to be painted before assembly and what can be assembled and painted as a whole. Each build is different and has its own peculiarities which will affect how you go about the order of assembly and painting. Everybody has a system, and what may work for one may not suit another. Al

Hey Nigel. It really comes down to what Jessica and Al said, what ever works for you and what you are comfortable with. I do vign. and dio's and they are all different. I usually asemble the figures for it first without painting them. Then I do the base, building or just ground work. With the figures unpainted I don't have to worry about getting them dirty with plaster or anything so I'm free to do my base and make sure the figures fit in properly. Once my base is done, I paint the figures. Sometimes I'll have a figure standing in water so when the base is done, I paint them up, glue in place, then add the water. If I have a vehical for it I always sub assemble. Looking at where the parts or sub assembly will go I look to see if I can paint and weather while in place or not. Interiors I always paint first as most times doing a good paint job when assembled would not only be frustrating but near impossable. Like Jessica and Al stated, do the interior first then close up your wingy thing or vehical and go to it on the exterior. First rule though, what works for someone else may not work for you. On a dio I am working on now, I have done the walls, and now am doing the every day things. Electrical conduits, fire hose station, clock, shelves, doors and such I make, paint and then glue in place. That works for me and I find it easier as they are small and getting my brush into some areas would be impossable. Try as many ways as you can think of and choose what works for you. I just look at what I am trying to accomplish and plan from there. If I was a 1/35th scale person then getting paint on the inside corner of an object next to a wall would be no problem. But I am a 1/1 scale person trying to get into a 1/35th scale area. Hope all the advise from everyone helps you. bob d.

Personally, I'm in awe of the builders who can complete a vehicle before painting it. No matter how I've thought about it, I can't grasp the idea of painting wheels and tracks after they're on the vehicle (not to mention tools and such).

What about link and run, or just individual link tracks?

I have a few models that have these - my past experience has been with rubber band types only.

It seems that you need to glue the links, let them begin to set and then fit them before fully set.

I imagine trying to paint them before fitting won't be very successful so you will best fitting them first - but then, how do you paint them properly?

Cheers,

Nigel

1 You have to assemble the wheels to the lower hull

2 Track links assembling. You need to use the wheels as a reference to decide how many links fit better. Of course at this step, you don't have to glue the first and the last link to each other

3 Track links painting

4 Lower hull and wheels painting (actually you have to paint the entire model)

5 As a last step you have to assemble the track links to the wheels. At this step you have to glue the first and the last link to each other

Otherwise you can follow this video tutorial (that's an alternative method)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK8fTO6-DtY

I really hope that is clear enough. It seems hard actually it's quite easy

regarding the Track links painting, there are several articles about. Look for exemple here

http://www.scalemodelguide.com/painting-weathering/painting-guide/paint-tracks-armoured-vehicles/

https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/1737&page=1

cheers

Nigel, these days I build 99% armor and 1% aircraft, so I'll stick to my armor painting sequence which works well for me. I build in sub assemblies, and paint them individually.
1st Assembly:
Lower hull,
wheels/tires,
Suspension
tracks.

2nd Assembly:
Upper Hull

3rd Assembly:
Turret.

No weathering till all sub assemblies are completed and joined together.

Joel